Where does “dowless” come from?

dowless (English) comes from English Dow, from Middle English douen, from Old French douer, from Latin doto, from Latin dōs, from Proto-Italic dōtis, from Proto-Indo-European déh₃tis, from Proto-Indo-European -tis — Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots.

dowless (English): Feeble; lacking spirit or activity; shiftless

Definitions

  1. Feeble; lacking spirit or activity; shiftless

Ancestry of “dowless”, step by step

dowless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Dow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDowDow Jones average
2Middle EnglishdouenTo be helpful or beneficial; to have worthiness...
3Old Frenchdouerto endow
4LatindotoI endow
5Latindōsdowry
6Proto-Italicdōtis
7Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₃tisgiving
8Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots

via English less

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlessTo a smaller extent or degree; comparative form...
2Middle Englishlesfalse; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie
3Old Englishlēasfalse, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose...
4Proto-Germanic*laus
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tisEvery word from Proto-Indo-European déh₃tisEvery word from Proto-Italic dōtis